MU Libraries gets Chinese books

Saturday

Apr 27, 2013 at 12:01 AMApr 27, 2013 at 1:00 AM

Karyn Spory

University of Missouri Libraries recently received a gift of 1,000 rare and modern Chinese books.

Handy Williamson, vice provost of international programs, said the books were part of the normal contribution made by the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing to each of the Confucius Institutes around the world.

"In one sense, it's not a big deal to headquarters, but it's a really big deal to us," Williamson said.

The books will expand the library's Asian literacy collection. Williamson said the books will help students better understand the language as well as the culture of East Asia.

Williamson said one way to think about how the gift will benefit students is to think about how books, in general, benefit society.

"We see books as long-established vessels for allowing people and great minds from the past to communicate to present and future generations — especially to communicate value and culture," Williamson said.

Williamson said he believes the books will help students better understand China and "prepare them in some way to be wise consumers of trade with China."

"From that perspective, we see this as a way to strengthen the state of Missouri so it can again increase the high volume of trade we already have with China," Williamson said.

Wen Ouyang, co-director of MU's Confucius Institute, which was founded in 2011, said the gift was in honor of the university's centennial relationship with China. The university first established relations with China through the MU School of Journalism in 1913.

Ouyang was instrumental in acquiring the books and spent months working with employees to label and catalogue all the books.